-First big test of 2010 political season is this Tuesday in Bartow, Gordon.
-Primary opponents already on the move with signs, appearances.
-Work begins on transforming Marines' complex into parks & rec office.
-Comings & goings: Quick updates on who's new, who's done.
-Filming begins this week in Rome on Harry Musselwhite's new short.
-Peaks & Valleys: What tourism means to Bartow; those gas prices (again).
What's ahead in Bartow County: Duck Derby week is here.
Downtown's Summer Concert Series off to great start. With photos.
Braves bounce back, beat Asheville, 4-2> Sports
Ronnie says he's safe; umpire agrees: That's Rome businessman and former Mayor Ronnie
Wallace in the pink shirt declaring Braves' catcher Braeden Schlehuber safe during Sunday's
win at State Mutual Stadium. For more photos on Schlehuber's second big slide of the weekend, courtesy of Mills Fitzner, please click Sports
Business:
-HCA, parent company of Redmond Regional, Cartersville Medical and Polk Medical centers, files to go public> NBJ
Your latest forecast:
-Monday: 30% chance of rain. High 72, low 57. 30% rain chance at night
-Tuesday: Mostly cloudy. High 80, low 64.
-Extended forecast> Click / Regional radar
Norman Arey's Sports Roundtable> Arey
-It can be really tough out there when Satan's out to get you.
Campaign preview this Tuesday in parts of Bartow, Gordon
-The dominos that fell when Nathan Deal resigned from Congress to run for governor start to drop into place on Tuesday. A special election is set for 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. to let voters in the Ninth Congressional District pick Deal's successor.
-One of the candidates is Tom Graves, a Ranger Republican who resigned as a state House member to seek the congressional seat. Hence, another special election on the same day, this one for the state House seat that includes parts of Gordon and Bartow counties.
-For sample ballots on both special elections, click Gordon.
-We'll have results of both races Tuesday evening.
-What to watch: Statewide media is tracking the congressional race to see what impact the tea party movement might have. Graves has the support of tea party members in much of the congressional district.
Primary battles already under way, too
-We're a good two months out from the July 20 primary but don't tell that to some of the candidates. For them, the campaign is under way.
-Signs for Terry Williamson's bid for the District 1 seat on the Floyd County Board of Education already are out, including one at Five Points. Williamson, a Republican, faces incumbent Teresa Lumsden in the primary.
-Also visible early in the campaign is Larry Maxey, a Republican running for the Post 4 spot on the Floyd County Commission against incumbent Eddie Lumsden, also GOP. Among Maxey's signs: A "rolling billboard" in the bed of a pickup truck at the weekend's Roman Roast on the River.
-The first sign of the year goes to John Barge, a Kingston man running for state school superintendent. His first yard sign was spotted in Twickenham before qualifying began. The first ones up on qualifying day: Gubernatorial hopeful Nathan Deal and Preston Smith (the signs didn't say which office he'd be seeking).
Coming and going
-New this week: Zaxby's on Turner McCall, opening today.
-Back in service: The AAMCO shop on U.S. 41 in Cartersville; it closed in January.
-Out soon: Trellis Garden & Gifts at 2 S. Wall St. in Cartersville.
-On the way: The Clarence Brown Conference Center in Cartersville off Ga. 20 looks just about done. And get a look at the accompanying amphitheater next time you're in the area.
Local filming of new short by Musselwhite begins this week
-Harry Musselwhite, known for his multitasking arts career, steps behind the camera this week as production begins on his new short film, "Der Greis" (Old Man). Musselwhite, a fixture at Berry College and an active member of Northwest Georgia's arts community, also serves as executive director of the Rome International Film Festival (Sept. 10-11). "Der Greis" will film in downtown Rome this week. It features Berry College theatre Director John Countryman in the title role and is based on a short musical work by Franz Joseph Haydn. Mark Hannah, also of Berry, is Director of Photography, and post production will be completed at Atlanta's Lab 601. Musselwhite will be a participant in the Producer's Guild of America annual bash "Produced by 2010" at Fox Studios in Hollywood the first week in June. He will attend workshops with the likes of Ted Turner, Brian Grazer (DaVinci Code, etc.), and Mark Cuban (producer and owner of the Dallas Mavericks).
Work begins to transform Marine Armory into new rec center;
once done, watch domino effect at Barron, along West Third
By Natalie Simms
The $1.6 million renovation of the former U.S. Marine Armory on Shorter Avenue for the new home of the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority is finally under way. While completion is months away, city officials are already working on plans for West Third Street after parks and rec vacates the current site.
"The interior demo started last week and is well under way," says Sammy Rich, Assistant City Manager. "We are not completely demolishing, just renovating. We will be adding an additional 40 feet to the gym on the east side of the building. Otherwise, the meat of the project will consist of office space and the gymnastics area within the existing gymnasium."
The administrative offices and the gymnastics program, now housed in Memorial Gym on West Third will be moving into the renovated building. The project was funded by the penny SPLOST approved by voters in 2006.
The new site will have 29,200 square feet which includes the 6,250 square feet of additional space being added to the existing building.
Rich says it will feature a new gym of 13,850 square feet, office space, a new viewing area for the gym, restrooms and lockers, and a party room/concession stand area. The project is expected to be completed in October, after which a domino of things will happen to the properties on West Third Street.
"Once we demo Memorial Gym, we will begin construction of a new entrance to Barron Stadium with concession, restroom and maintenance areas that will be approximately 7,300 square feet in size," Rich says. "Additionally, we will renovate the existing field house and work on general site improvements like new sidewalks and new fencing."
January is a tentative start date for those Phase 2 renovations to Barron Stadium.
Rich says the city's first priority is getting the field improvements completed by the kick-off of the 2010 football season this August.
The city owns 4.4 acres along West Third and what happens to this property once parks and rec movies remains undecided.
"Our top goal or wish, if you will, is to attract a first-class, full service hotel to the property. A few years ago, we solicited for proposals and had David Doss and Tom Hackett submit a proposal to build condos in one phase and do a hotel in the second phase. Once the economy went south, that project was shelved," says Rich.
"I suspect we will go back out for proposals at some point in the near future. In the interim, we are working to create an Opportunity Zone for the West Third area."
Under Georgia's Opportunity Zone Job Tax Credit Program, the area becomes eligible for the maximum state job tax credit of $3,500 per employee for five years starting the year of hire.
"This is a great incentive for any business as the restrictions are very minimal. No restriction on types of jobs created, only two or more jobs need to be created to be eligible and there is no limit on the number of jobs," says Rich.
PEAKS & VALLEYS: The highs, lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to Northwest Georgia's tourism industry: As we mark National Travel and Tourism Week, we note this release from the Cartersville-Bartow County Convention and Visitors Bureau on what those visitors mean:
-Tourism's economic impact saves every Bartow homeowner $236 a year in taxes.
-Bartow tourism jobs have grown by 2 percent, to 1,400-plus people.
-Bartow hosts 2.9 million visitors each year or 7,884 visitors a day.
-$125 million is spent here annually by visitors.
Those are excellent numbers, especially amid a recession, and shows the market's expanding potential to sustain itself as a tourism destination.
Valley (again and again and again . . . ) to local gas prices: Please explain this one to us. A gallon of unleaded sells for $2.82 at the Murphy Oil station in Cartersville at 12:30 p.m. Sunday; $2.73 a gallon at the Murphy in Acworth at 3 p.m. Sunday; and at $2.81 a gallon at 4:05 p.m. at the Rome location. Same company; same territory. Same old story.
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